Tax Preparer Arrested for Fraud

June 19, 2015

On Thursday June 16, 2015 Georgia Department of Revenue agents executed four search warrants relating to the tax preparation business “Tax Connection Worldwide”. The locations included Troup, Meriwether and Fulton County. In addition to the search warrants, arrest warrants have been issued for Rainnessia Stiggers and Robert Barrett.

The Georgia Department of Revenue opened a criminal fraud case in early 2014 involving fraudulent tax returns during the 2011, 2012, and 2013 tax years. During those years Rainnessia Stiggers, owner of Tax Connections Worldwide, and her accomplice Robert Barrett devised a tax preparation scheme involving:

-Filing Schedule C forms containing false businesses with inflated losses to offset taxable income that the taxpayer had no knowledge of.

-Utilizing counterfeit W-2 documents to support filed state tax returns.

-False education credits.

-Questionable dependents.

Staci Guest, Director of the Office of Special Investigations said “Rainnessia Stiggers and Robert Barrett do a disservice to legitimate tax preparers who comply with Georgia Tax Law. We will continue to find and track others who are cheating the state.”

Criminal charges include five counts each, one count id theft, one count theft by taking, one count theft by deception, one count computer forgery and one count forgery in the 1st degree. Additional charges are expected. Rainessia Stiggers is in custody and booked into the Troup County Jail while Robert Barrett remains at large.